Machine for manufacturing welded wire chains.



M. B. RYAN.

MAGHNNB FOR MANUFACTURING WBLDBD WIRE CHAINS. APE'LIGATIONFILBDMMLZQ,1911, RENEWED OGT.22,1912.

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M. B. RYAN. MACHINE POR MANUFACTURING WELDED WIRE CHAINS. APPLICATION rILBD MAP..29,1911. RBNBWED 0011.22, 1912.

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E y im M. B. RYAN. MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING WBLDBD WIRE GHAlNs.

APPLIGATlON FILED 1111111.29, 1911. RENEWED 0011.22, 1912.

Fateilted Jan. 5, 193.5.

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INVENTUH MHTNESSES:

M. Bl RYAN.

MACHINE FOR Mmumwumm www www CHAINS.

= APPLICATION FILE!) HAH. 29. l. i,}j;`\1l\1b OCT, 22. 1912` 1,123,599 .Patented Jan. 5, w15.

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WITNESSES: /VllL/JTUR MICHAEL B. RYAN, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT;

MACHILE FOR FACTURING WELDED WIREGHAINS;

aisance.

speciaeation of Letters raient.

Patenten-aan. e, rara' Application lecl March 279., '1911,` Serial No. 617,600. Renewed ctober :22, 1512. v Serial No. 727,110`

i To all whom it may concern commonly displayedby Welded Be it known that l, MICHAEL B. RYAN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Manufacturing Welded Wire Chains; and I do declare' the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to machines for manufacturing welded Wire chains, rings, and the like, in which the welding is preferably performed by electricity and the varions operations are carried out automatically, the machine taking the wire from the coil or rod and delivering the com leted chain or the like which then only nee s the usual tumbling to remove the scale, cuttings, fins, &c.

A further object of. my inventionis to completely remove the surplus metal incident to the Welding and to force the parts of the welded joint more closely together so that the link at not only be as strong as any other part of the link but will not be characterized by the roughness or unsymmetrical appearance chain.

With these ends 1n view my invention consists in the novel features of construction and arrangement of parts such as Will be hereinafter fully-described and then particularly pointed out in the claims which conclude this description.

n the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved machine-Fig 2 aside elevation thereof- Fi 3 an end view--Fig. 4: a detail broken sectional ele vation at the line '.fv, of Fig.- 1-Figs. 5, 6, Y, 8, 9, and 10 are detail broken plan views showing the position of the severaly instrumentalities immediately associated with the Wire in performing the several operations in Figs. 12 and 13 are broken plan views ofthe respective sections of the secondary as they appear prior to their final assembly and hinging, and Fig. 14 is a detail broken sectional elevation showing the hinged second` ary sections.

4 readily the Welding location will.

this description as hiththe link, and

means are provided whereby the chain is carried out link by link into a position v:where the links are visible as fast as they are completed without any special exertion on the part of the operator; and the latter can see by the appearance of a newly formed link Whether the current is correctly timed and :adjusted Means are rovided Whereby'the movement of a link from the electrodes to the presser forming tools is reduced to a minimum'both as'regards distance of movement and time occupied, so that the final forming pressureV is applied before any detrimental cooling of the. wire can take place. y

1 is any suitable table or bed su upon legs 2, and 3 is versely journaled in pportcd the power shaft transsuitable bearings beneath said bed and carrying a pinion et which meshes With a spur carried on a transversely' journ'aled shaft fd which,` latter carries a pinion 7 and worm 8. The pii'iil ion 7 meshes with a large spur ried'by a shaft 10 journaled at the rear of the bed 1 while the Worm 8 meshes with a Worm wheel 11 carriedby a shaft 12 journaled Within bearings beneath the bed and extending lengthwise thereof, or, in other words, at right angles to the shafts heretofore mentioned. From the above it will be readily understood will communicate rotation to the' shaft. 6 While the latter will be instrumental in revolving the shafts 10, 12.

13 is a main slide guided Within suitable ways in the bed and actuated by means of a groove cam 14 in face of gear 9 within which cam tracks a roll 15 carried by the rear of said. slide. Guided within ways in the slide 13 is a secondary slide 16 which is actuated by means of a groove cam 17 on the shaft 10` within which cam tracks a roll` gear 9 c ary that \the power shaftv to partake of the sliding movements thereof is an elongated pinion 19 which is capable of independent rotation.

420 is a vertically disposed rack bar guided 5, Within suitable'ways so as to slide freely and having extending from its lower extremity a roll 2l (shown in dotted lines) Which tracks within a groove cam 22 carried by the shaft 12, which rack bar meshes with the pinion 19 and by its operation from the cam 22 will cause said pinion to revolve a .quarter turn for the purpose presently to be explained.

23 are the tools which perform the rst bending operation and which are secured to. the forward end ot' the main slide- 13 in properly spaced condition, and pivoted Within the forward extremity of the pinion element 19 are gripper jaws 24 properly 20 spaced at their nose ends in normal condition so as to engage the links, and having their-rear extremities distended by means of spring (shown in dotted lines) the 'function of this spring being merely to enable the jaws to open with a resilient clos ing action so that they will irmly grip the links and also can be readily withdrawn therefrom when the occasion demands.

Guided within a suitable bushing if) in the bed ot the machine immediately beyond the pinion element 1 9 is a vertically disposed bar 2li' carrying on its upper extremity a mandrel around whiclrthe link bending operations are performed, the lower extremity of this bar having a roll 29 (shown in dotted lines) extending therefrom and tracking within a groove cam 30, as more particularly shown at Fig. 4.

31, 32, are blocks secured to the bed of the 4o machine and 33, 34, are slides suitably -guided within these blocks and provided at their inner extremities with rolls 35, 36, which slides and rolls are the elements which perform the bending operations suhsequent to the initial bending by the tools 23. These slides 'are actuated by means olf levers 37 pivoted beneath the bed plate andcarrying at their lower extremities rolls 3S (shown in dotted lines) which track with- Ain groove cani 3f) carried by shaft l2, the upper extremities of these levers being loosely connected with said slides. This last described constrnetirm is so eomn'ion that Iy have not specially illustrated the same and therefore only one of the levers 3T appears in connection with the cam 39, but it will be readily understood `that these levers are duplicates and areengaged within this cam at diametrieally oppjosite points. 40`are slides sui ably guided in the bed and carrying the presser tools 4l, said slides being actuated by means of levers 42 pivoted below the bed of the machine and having at their lower' extremities shoes -43 which .65 engage diametrically opposite portions of periphery cam 44, the upper extremities of these levers being suitably engaged with the slides 40.

45, 46, are coil springs which connect the levers 42 below their pivotal point and serve to keep the shoes 43 in firm contact with the cam 44, and likewise cause the slides 40 to spread apart when`said shoes are against the reduced portions of said cam.

The construction last described is quite i ordinary and l have likewise not seen lit to make any special illustration thereof, and therefore only a single one of the levers l2 appears in the drawing, but it may be stated that the construction is generally like that shown at Fig. l1 which illustrates the means employed to operate the welding electrodes.

Referring to the welding instrun'1entalities, the secondary is made in twosections each oi" which is eomposediotta troughlike piece of copper having otl'set hinge poi tions one ot' these sections 4T with its oll'set hinge portion 4S `being shown at l? ig. 12 while the other section 49 with its oll'set hinge portion 50 is shown at Fig. 13, whileI at Fig. 14 these sections are shown prop crly assembled and pivoted or hinged together by means of pin 51.

52 is the usual primary seated within the secondary sections and 53 is the sol't iron core surrounding the primary and secoudary, said core and secondary being properly insulated from the rest of the machine iu any suitable manner.

'l`l1e welding electrodes 54 are secured to the inner extremities of the respective sec ond-ary sections 47, 49.

55 are levers pivoted below the bed ol the machine and carrying at their lower extremities rollsl which bear aminrst a cam 5T carried by'the shalt l2, said rolls being kept in l'irm Contact with this cani hy means of coil spring 58 having its extremities secured to said levers below the pivotal points thereol. lVilhin the upper extremities of these levers are resilient plunger pin:` of) which bear against the insulator blotl s GO secured to the sides of the sections l?, 49, so that when the cam acts to force the electrodes toward each other against an interposed link there will be a yielding' pres sure which produces excellent results, since a dead pressure during a welding operation does not permit of a proper fusing and distribution of the metal at the point of: welding, and a pressure that greatly increases from a minimum to a maximum during the welding operation will result in a thorough and uniform welding. When the rolls o6 er are against the low points of the cam 57 so as to permit the spreading of the eleiztrodes such spreading may be el'l'ected by means of a coil spring 6l interposed between the sec ondary sections 47, 49, but of course it will llo 1 formed into ageneral Ushape,

inatteso at 63, so that when the wire 6l is fed through j this quill for the purpose of cutting oli' blanks said wire will be sheared at an angle so that the extremities of a blank will prop-j` erly overlap, the actual feeding of the wire being accomplished in any well known manner while the under surface of the tool 23 is formed into a cutter' to shear od the wire.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 5 to l0 inclusive the operation of my improvement is as follows :e-After the wire has been fed forward to a sullicient extent immediately behind the mandi-e128, the primary bending tools 23 advance thereby cutting oil the wire' and bending the blank thus the bending slide 33 advances and bends one end of the blank around and against the mandrel, as shown at Fig. 6. At the end 'ot' the stroke of this slide 33 a cam surface 65 carried thereby will engage a corresponding cam surface G6 carried by one of the presser tools 4l, which latter have meanwhile been brought together prior to the operation ot' the slide 33, and the engagement of these cam surfaces will cause the roll 35 to firmly and violently pinch the extremity -of the blank acted on against the mandrel and thereby set this end; this slide 33 is then retracted and the slide 34 advances to perform a similar bending operation upon the other extremity of the blank, and at the final stroke of this slide a cam surface 67 carried thereby will cooperate with a cam surface 68 carried by the other presser tool (ll and thereby firmly and violently set the remaining extremity of the link blank inwardly against the mandrel, the result of these two setting operations being that the overlapping extremities of the link blank will be so completely and uniformly set that the link at its divided portion will present no irregularities or projections whatsoever.

ln forming a link for lap welding, considerable difliculty has been experienced bei cause the ends of 'the link blank at the joint were not properly set, and almost in- L variably the joint would. present projecting portions, so that when such a joint was delivered between the welding terminals some parts would be brought to a welding heat quicker than others, and since the welding; is automatically controlled, some portions of the `oin".` would necessarily be overheated or under'heated, thus rendering the chain unreliable as to tensile strength and unsightly as to appearance. n

In my present improvement, the cooperation of the cam surfaces in successionas each end of the blank is bent around the mandrel, oversets each end uniformly so that the natural resiliency of the stock will cause the peripheries of these ends throughout their overlapping portions to coincide so as to become in cross section complementary parts of a circle, it being ol course assumed that round Awire is used in the manufacture of the chain, and it will be readily understood, that, when a joint of this sort isy presented for welding, all portions o said joint must necessarily be heated uniformly since the diameter of such joint is the same in all directions, and therefore the welding; operation will not only be perfect but can be automatically controlled. This setting operation is highly important, since it is far superior to a setting operation performed at one time against the overlapping ends of the blank. The gripper jaws 2l -will now be advanced so as to engage and hold the' link as shown at Fig. 7, and after the slide 3a and presser tools 41 have been retracted, and the mandrel -28 withdrawn from the link, these gripper jaws will -beI advanced by the action of the slide 16 will be given a quarter turn by the action lof the rackr() against the pinion 1,9, and the overlapping ends ofthe link will be presented between the welding electrodes 5l,k as shown at Fig. 8; alter 'the welding operation, the slide 16 will lbe operated to slightly retract the jaws 2% and the welded ends will be presented between the presser tools 4l. which latter will be operated to firmly compress and form the comparatively soft metal so that in the finished link the welded joint will be smooth and will present no irregularities as compared with the rest of the link; alter the spreading' of the tools 41, the action of the slide 16 will cause the jaws 2l to be retracted to a position where the completed link is held by these avvsv in` position to receive the wire for the blank of a succeedingl link.q as shown at l0, and the mandrel 28 will now be elevated so that a notch 69 therein will engage the completed link, whereby the wire for a succeedingr blank may be disposed closely around the mandrel. As fast as the chain is made it is led up over suitable pulleys 70 supported by a 'lV-upright 7l rising,r from the bed of the i .metal so much that sometimes the streu'th oi' the chain is greatly decreased, butiit will be observed that l have done away entirely with any U-tool or the equivalent an(` that l form an initial bend at the ends of thb blank so as to bring these ends within the field of final pressure tools have been disposed in horizontal planes, and said scales or slivers Would therefore rest on the lower electrode and get welded to or set ou the soft copper points and accordingly interfere very much with the electric current. This necessitates the stopping of the machine in order to lo cate the sliver and knock it oil' with a chisel or other suitable tool, and so annoying is this defect that a careless operator will frequently allow the machine to run to the detriment ot the chain in the expectation that the sliver will burn oil or get dragged out with the link. In my improvement the welding electrmles as well as the iinal pres- I sure tools are set perpendicularly so that the loose slivers will drop by gravity and will not become lodged in these devices.

The machine constructed as shown and described is exceei'lingly advantageous for manufacturing welded chain from rod material or wire, because lthe setting of the ends is so perfect throughout the entire.

overlapping portions, that' a considerable sur-lace is subjected to the welding operation without marringthe symmetry of the chain, particularly ai'ter the presser tools have performed their operations.

The method of forming and welding, which is disclosed in this application, is not claimed herein butris the subject ol' a separate application for patent about to be tiled by me.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters'lhitent is:-

l.A In a machine ot the clniracter described, the combination ot a. vertically reciprocating mandrel, means for bending the blank into the shape of the article desired with the ends overlapping, welding devices, presser formers, dueans for `"setting the ends of the article prior to welding, an independent slidable and rotary element, a

pair of resilient gripper jaws pivoted within the `forward extremity ot said element, means for advancing said element wherebyl said jaws will grasp the completely formed article while it is still around said mandrel,

means for withdrawing the mandrel, meansA for projecting said elenient and means for revolving the same whereby said article held by said jaws is presented te the welding devices, and means tor retracting said element. whereby said article is presented to the presser formers.

Qln a'machine for auton'iatically making welded wire chains, the combination of .weldingr devices and means for operating 1., whereby the link is formed around said mandrel, .means carried by the final bending tools and coperating with means carried by said presser 'formers whereby the cxtremities of the link are iinally set while the link is around the mandrel, an independent slidablc and rotary element, a pair of resilient gripper jaws pivoted within the forward extremity of said element, means for advancing said clement whereby said jaws will grasp a completely formed link while it is still around said mandrel,

means for withdrawing the mandrel, means for projecting said element andmcans for revolving the same whereby the link held by said jaws is presented to the welding devices, and means 'for retracting said element whereby said link is presented to the presser foi-mers and subsequently held in a position to receive the blank for a succeeding link.

In a chain making machine, the combination oil? a vertically reciprocating mandrel, primary and secondary reciprocating bending means operating in horizontal planes at right angles to each other, means vfor delivering a blank in position-for the primalvY bending, mechanism for advancing the primary bending means whereby the blank is bent into substantially U-shape, means for operating the secondary bending means whereby the ends of the blank, are successively bent around the mandrel with their ends overlapping, welding devices, presser lormers provided with cam surfaces which enga gc corresponding surta tes on the secondary bending means whereblv the cxtremities ol the link blank are successively set," an independent slidable and rotary elenn-nt, a pair ot resilient gripper jaws pivoted within the forward extremity of said element, means for advancing said clement whereby said jaws will grasp a completely formed link while it is still around said mandrel, means for withdrawing the mandrel, means for projecting said be welded, slides movable parallel to said` ,y mandrel from the plane of turn the formed rst mentioned slidestand carrying. shaping dies, and caans on sai ast mentioned slides for forcing said rollers toward said mandrel. l

` 5. InV achain making machine, the combination of a mandrel, Welding devices having their operating surfaces positioned in planes at an angle to the plane of the bending faces of said mandrel, means for feeding a blank to said mandrel, primary means for bending said blank into substantially U-shape against said mandrel, secondary bending means operating in a plane at substantiallyiright angles to said rst bending means and arranged to engage said U- shaped blank to bend the `ends thereof around the mandrel and to substantially join said ends, presser means having its operating, surfaces located in a substantially coincident plane With those of said Welding devices, means'for grippin the link formed on Athe mandrel, means or moving said said link, means for mor-"ing said link gripping means to link and to position it in t e planeof and in operative relation to Hsaid Welding means, and for subsequently ed link mandrel blank a 1, bending means operating in a p Sta-ntial right .angles to said primary bendaround the mandrel and to moving said gripping means withthe vveldinto the plane of and in operative relation yto said presser means.y V o v 6.,'In a chain making machine, the combination of ,a vertically movablejmandrel, welding devices having their operating suracesv positioned in lsubstantially'vertical planes, presser ineans having its .operatingsurfaces positioned in substantially vertica planes, means for feeding a blank to said primary means for bending said gainst said.` mandrel and into substantially yU-shape, seeondarilf operable ane at sub- .inglmeans and arranged to engage said U- shaped blank tol bend the ends thereof Substantially joinv said ends, means for grippin the link formed on said mandrel, .means ger subsequently movingsaid mandrel from the plane of'said link, vand'ngieans for movin said link gripping means to turn the forme link and position the latter-in the plane of and in operativerelation'to the operatingr surfaceof said Welding means and for subsequently moving said gripping means with thevveld'- ed linkinto the plane of and in operative relation to the operating surfaces of said presser means. A y

'i'. ln a chain making machine, the combination of a vertically movable mandrel,

welding devices having their operating surfaces positioned in substantially vertical planes, presser means having its operating surfaces positioned in substantiall vertical planes, means for feedinga .blan tol said man el, `primary means for bending saidy blank against said mandrel and into substantially U-shape, secondarily operable bending means operating in a plane at substantial right angles to said primary bending means and arranged to engage said U- sliaped blank to bend the ends thereof around the mandrel and to substantially join said ends, means for gripping the link formed on said mandrel, means for subsequently moving said mandrel from the plane of said link, and means for moving said link gripping means to turn the formed link and position the latter in the plane of and in operative relation to the operating surfaces of said Welding means and for subsequently moving said gripping means with the Welded link into the plane of and in operative rel. tion te the operating surfaces of said presser means, said last named means being so arranged to subsequently and further ove said gripping means and said formed ink into a position whereby the fed blanlrlof the next formed link of the chain may bei threaded therethrough.

8. In a chain making machine, the combination of a movable mandrel, Welding devices having their operating surfaces posi.- tioned in planes at an vangle to the bending faces of said mandrehpresser means having its operating surfaces located in a substantially coincidlent plane With said surfaces of said Welding devices, means for feedingchain link stock to said mandrel, means for cutting said stock to length, primary bending means arranged to bend said cut length against said mandrel and to substantially U-shape, secondarily operated bendin means operating in a plane at substantie ly right angles to said primary bending means and arranged to engage said U-shaped blank to bendvthe ends thereof around said mandrel andto substantially join said ends, lneans for gripping the link thus 'formed while upon said mandrel, means for subdequently moving said mandrel from the plane of saidl link, means for movingI said gripping means to turn said link and to position the same inthe plane of and in operativerelatiori to said operating surfaces of the Welding devices, and to subsequently move said gripping means and the Welded link carried thereby to bring said link first into operative relation to said presser means, and thence to position the Welded and pressed link whereby ythe fed end' of the next succeeding length of stock may be threaded therethrough.

9. In a chain making machine, the `combination of a vertically movable mandrel having bending surfaces extending in a substantially horizontal plane, Welding devices having their operating surfaces positioned in substantially vertical planes, -presser means" having its operating surfaces positioned in substantially' vertical planes,

ymeans for.. feeding chain linkstoekutov said mandrel, means r cutting said stock to length, primary means for bending said cut length against said mandrel and intov substantially 'U-shape, secondarily operating means movable and operating in a plane. at

substantially'right angles to said primary bending means' and arranged to bend said U-shaped link -around said mandrel to substantially join theends thereof, means for gripping the link bent around saidmandrel While on said mandrel, means for subsequently moving said mandrel from the plane of said'link, means for moving said gripping means and the link carried there# by and forturning said link to position the same in the plane of and in operative relation to the operating surfaces' of said weld ing devices, and for subsequently moving @said gripping means and said link into the plane 'of and in operative. relation to the operating surfaces of said presser means, said last named moving means being also A operative to subsequently position the welded' and pressed link whereby the fed end of the next succeeding length of stockmay be threaded therethrough.

10. In a chain making machine, a mandrel, means for bending a length of link stock with complemental beveled ends about said mandrel, said bending means includingbending said eut length about said mandrel,

said bending means including means Whereby the ends of said out length are given a final pressure to spring them beyond cach other whereby saidends may spring back into substantial alinement when said finall pressure is removed.

\ In testimony whereof- I aix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MICHAEL B. RYAN. Witnesses:

F. W. SMITH, Jr., M. T. LONGDEN. 

